For this third installment of our series on authentic creator partnerships, Acceleration Partners influencer expert Mandalynn Carlson talks about the importance of learning and adjusting your strategy to maintain success.
So, now that we’ve covered brand-creator matchmaking and setting the stage for long-term partnerships, we’ve come to the obvious question: what does success look like? These metrics really run the spectrum based on the brand and its goals, but there are a few key performance indicators — and foundational strategies — that we often come back to in creating a sustainable, successful influencer campaign.
Full-funnel measurement. KPIs do vary from brand to brand, especially if it’s a subscription brand that requires a consultation. Typically, though, we focus on clicks, actions, revenue and upper-funnel metrics like impressions and engagement. This emphasis allows us to see a fuller picture of the content and if creators are driving consumers from the awareness and consideration stage to the purchase stage.
Be ready to adjust. Iterative learning is crucial to running a successful program. Our industry and culture shift so often that what worked in a program a year ago might be the total opposite of what works now to interest creators, motivate them and keep them consistent in posting.
Even incentives shift based on some of the big players in the industry. As an example, if Amazon starts offering a bonus for posting about something during Prime Week, it would be quite hard for a brand to maintain the same level of visibility during Prime Week without their own bonus or incentive. Or, you may have an innovative direct-to-consumer brand that held unique market value for a while, but they’re now competing with two other brands that make a similar product and work with mega celebrities. In that instance, we’d want to shift our messaging from focusing on the brand’s unique value and pivot to consumer testing or the product’s luxury feel.
Use data to your advantage. At Acceleration Partners, we live and breathe performance data and use it to inform decisions of all kinds: what creators to work with, in what formats or on what platforms, what promotions work best for certain audiences, and much more.
The biggest indicator of success in an influencer campaign is an openness and willingness to test new things. We could have all the tools at our disposal to measure every piece of the funnel, but if a brand only wants to work with one set of influencers in a narrow niche, it limits the recommendations we can make and our ability to determine if perhaps we should shift to other platforms as the industry changes. In this rapidly evolving landscape, there’s always potential for a new category of creator that would be a great fit and is really emerging in the industry.
In the meantime, if you have questions about how AP can help you develop your influencer strategy and drive performance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We can help inform your marketing strategies through community building with affiliate influencers and direct first-party program data. Thanks to feedback we get from creators regarding their audience’s behavior and content engagement, our influencer team has deep insight in where programs and strategies should shift to reach the target consumer.
